Saturday, March 6, 2010

(Marine) Woman to (rural Afghan) woman

The nytimes.com website's teaser about a story it just posted reads, "Women will accompany men on patrols in Afghanistan to try to win over rural Afghan women who are culturally off limits to outside men." The full story, by Elisabeth Bumiller, explains:

Next month [female Marines who are getting special training] will begin work as members of the first full-time “female engagement teams,” the military’s name for four- and five-member units that will accompany men on patrols in Helmand Province to try to win over the rural Afghan women who are culturally off limits to outside men. The teams, which are to meet with the Afghan women in their homes, assess their need for aid and gather intelligence, are part of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal’s campaign for Afghan hearts and minds. His officers say that you cannot gain the trust of the Afghan population if you only talk to half of it.

In response to the last comment, I can only say, "Indeed!"

I suppose that the need to use the "rural" modifier in describing where this plan will be executed--and indeed in having such a plan to begin with--is a reflection of (1) the greater intensity of patriarchy in rural places, something I have written about here and here; and (2) the importance of the battle for "hearts and minds" in rural places, where local/tribal/customary sources of authority are so powerful.